Hey everyone. My name is Al Ntiri and I’m a second year student at McCombs. I grew up in Long Island, studied economics and math at Yale, and then worked in the New York area. I started in a management training, rotational program at Citibank, moved onto project management at Citi, and then switched industries and worked at a test preparation company.

I came to McCombs for 4 main reasons:

Strength of Operations Program: After trying out a few different things at work, I am most interested in operations so I looked for a school that was strong in that area. The IROM department is one of McCombs’ biggest strengths.

Flexibility & MBA+: Although I have some experience doing process improvement, I wanted to try out other areas of operations. I really liked the MBA+ Program because you can do a project in your area of interest. Also, they have communication coaches that help you sharpen your skills in that area.

Culture/Fit: I simply cliqued with the student body at McCombs more than anywhere else. People here are very smart but down to earth, driven but we help each other out. Also, a lot of students are into the outdoors. Being a person who likes nature, this was perfect for me.

Region: I’m big on exposure and going to Texas, a place I knew nothing about, allows me to explore a new region while attending school. There are also great opportunities to go abroad.

Outside of class, I spend time planning events for the Black Graduate Business Association, working part time as a graduate research assistant for international programs, making mixes on my iPod, and enjoying the various live music performances in Austin. Feel free to reach out to me at albert.ntiri@mba12.mccombs.utexas.edu if you have any questions about operations, diversity at McCombs, or other topics on your mind.